If you're badger, sure, burrow into a dark hole and spend your night forgetting what air feels like. If you're a person, forget burrows and sleep in the Mountain Hardwear Optic 3.5 3-Person 3-Season Tent, which has full mesh walls and a rollback fly that gives you a 180-degree view. It's made for three people, but, as the name suggests, it can easily hold 3.5 (a half-person being a dog or child), and it has tons of headroom to go with the airy design. Double doors are set up on adjacent walls, corresponding with the rollback fly, to make getting in and out simple, and there are also two vestibules to keep your gear dry in the rain.
For a tent with so much space, the Optic is remarkably easy to set up, with two corner-to-corner poles and one short ceiling pole, along with color-coded corner tabs and clips that make pitching your tent as easy can be. The DAC Pressfit poles themselves are made of lightweight aluminum. The polyester floor and nylon body are both decked out with heavy-duty waterproof polyurethane coatings, and are tightly woven to resist tearing, while the interior pockets hold books, headlamps, and glasses to help the whole gang stay organized. Even with all this swag, the superlight Optic weighs less than 6.5 pounds, making it a great option for all but the lightest and fastest 3-season backpacking trips.
- Full mesh walls
- Nylon floor and polyester fly with PU coatings
- Three lightweight aluminum DAC Pressfit poles with color-coded clips
- Two adjacent doors with vestibules
- Rollback fly provides 180-degree views
- Comfortably holds three adults and a child or dog
- Internal pockets